Episode 1057
The monkeys are running the zoo: Rafe Needleman, Brian Cooley, and Brian Tong, with producer Lynn Fu, cover the iPhone finally getting MMS, Google's patent on its home page, Amazon re-delivering 1984 to Kindle, and the closure of the Oakland side of the Bay Bridge. Stories Covered AT&T says MMS coming to iPhone on September 25 http://arstechnica.com/apple/news/2009/09/att-says-mms-coming-to-iphone-on-september-25.ars http://www.att.com/gen/press-room?pid=1574 It’s official: AT&T Wireless sucks: NYT says so. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/03/technology/companies/03att.html?_r=2 Microsoft granted stay of Word injunction http://news.cnet.com/8301-10805_3-10345032-75.html Google gets a patent on their home page design http://valleywag.gawker.com/5350982/google-patents-worlds-simplest-home-page Amazon Offers To Redeliver Deleted Orwell Books Or $30 Refund (AMZN) http://www.businessinsider.com/amazon-offers-to-redeliver-deleted-orwell-books-or-30-refund-2009-9 No money? AffordIt can get you a PS3, anyway http://news.cnet.com/8301-19882_3-10344897-250.html Samsung launches YouTube DVD players http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Samsung-Announces-YouTube-bw-1224305102.html?x=0&.v=1 http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10345260-1.html Android Market gets a fresh new look http://android-developers.blogspot.com/2009/09/some-news-from-android-market.html Restoration starts on one of oldest computers http://news.cnet.com/8301-1001_3-10345307-92.html Bridge is closed – now the real work begins http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2009/09/03/BALA19ICHH.DTL Voicemail What do Buzz hosts drive? (no name) Matt from Raleigh: Ban billboards! Emails Hi, Buzzcrew. Just thought I’d share with you what happened to me today. I work for Bath and Body Works here in Alabama and earlier this week the Limited Brands, who owns us and stores like Victoria’s secret, etc., had all of its employees sign an agreement about guidelines for social media. Basically, it was telling us what we can and cannot say on Twitter, Facebook, Myspace, etc. Several hours before they had us read the guidelines and sign the document, I jokingly tweeted about it and said it was stupid and that Limited could go F themselves. Two days later (which would be today, Thursday) I’m called into work and taken to the back with the store manager and the district manager and they pull out a sheet that has my tweet on it and that because of what I said I was being terminated without question. Did you get that? I was fired for something I said BEFORE I signed any agreement, which btw mostly stated that we couldn’t post insider secrets and some other crap. It said nothing of stating one’s opinion of the company. Needless to say, I’m enraged and am now looking into filing suit against Limited Brands for wrongful termination. Or at the very least alert people to what the company is doing to its employees. Thanks, guys. Love the show. –Josh M. ---- Subject: Episode 1056 comment Cooley RE: Sony Walkman #1 in Japan One thing you neglected to mention is that the iPhone 3Gs is now the #1 smartphone in Japan (http://brainstormtech.blogs.fortune.cnn.com/2009/08/17/apples-iphone-3gs-is-no-1-in-japan/) So Apple is basically cannibalizing one market segment with another. In fact the iPhone took up both spots in the Top 10 phone list (32 GB being #1, and 16GB being #9) This really doesn’t show that Apple’s market share is decreasing unless you add the iPhone to the statistics since the iPhone is an iPod. I’m not the only one who believes this as this quote is straight from the article: ” the Tokyo-based researcher said in a statement yesterday. The iPhone also cannibalized iPod sales, according to BCN, which didn't count the iPhone in the survey because the product is also a wireless handset.” It’s ok – sometimes I say wrong things when I read a headline instead of reading the entire article too! oh - BURN! – Love the show. (btw – in case one of my emails ever make it on the show my name is pronounced: vin-oooo-d) Thanks, Vinod Tonangi After The Credits